THE sudden death of Brian ‘Keith’ Colman has not only been a big shock to his immediate family – it has also had a profound effect on the Wellington sporting scene, particularly rugby and cricket clubs.
Keith died at his home in Beech Hill last month at the age of 80, not long after watching Wellington lst XV win their first match of the season at Chard.
It will forever be a great family memory that Keith managed to watch this game and it would have made him very happy.
Right from an early age, Keith had sport written all over him. As a youngster he swam in The Basins and played tennis on the courts on the site which is now the local rugby club.
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It was reckoned that it was on the tennis court where his fiercely competitive spirit emerged. He attended Coram’s Lane School up until the age of 11 after which he secured a scholarship to Wellington School. His sporting talents were obvious from a young age and he turned into a fine all-rounder.
Having secured his School Diploma, it was a natural step for him to join the local rugby and cricket clubs – an affiliation he kept for the rest of his life.
Among his sporting achievements – on and off the field – were: full colours for cricket at Wellington School; Junior Wimbledon with the tennis ‘six’ – alongside his doubles partner Allan Purnell; five appearances for Somerset Colts at rugby; Captain of Wellington Rugby Club’s 2nd XV for five years; secretary of Wellington Rugby Club for 18 years and two years as chairman. He was a committee member of the club for 25 years and was one of the original trustees when the club purchased the Athletic Ground from Fox Brothers; captained Wellington Cricket Club’s lst XI for nine seasons; secretary of Wellington Cricket Club for nine seasons – including arguably Wellington’s best XI from 1978-80; refereed 300 matches as a member of the Somerset Referees Society; awarded life membership of both rugby and cricket clubs; an enthusiastic member of Bell Green Cricket Club; skittler for OBA in the Wellington Ex-Services League; a frighteningly competitive member of Wellington Squash Club; latterly a very keen bridge and whist player.
Keith married Judith in March, 1963, and they had two sons Ashley, 54, and Matt, 50. They had 43 years of happy married life before Judith died on December 14, 2006.
His elder brother Mike and younger sister Joy have survived him and he also had four grand-daughters, ranging from nine to 22.